The Harlem Neighborhood Block Association

Neighbors united to improve the quality of life in Harlem

Tag: CB11

Uptowner Reports on CB11 and DSNY

Posted on by Harlem Shill

Jessica Elliott, chair of the environment, open spaces and parks committee for Community Board 11 in East Harlem, argues that the neighborhood is oversaturated with sanitation facilities. It also hosts a garage for Manhattan District 10, the Manhattan Cleaning Lot and various parking lots.

The lot on East 123rd Street is taking up land that the city promised to consider for affordable housing. The District 10 garage on East 131st Street is not fully functional, so workers park trucks beneath the nearby Metropolitan Transportation Authority tracks instead. “We have to smell that foul stuff,” said Derrick Taitt, 60, president of the non-profit Community Association of East Harlem Triangle.

In 2017, the city agreed to explore options for an enclosed, state of the art, environmentally advanced, consolidated facility to house garages for Districts 9, 10 and 11. A similar facility opened in 2015 at Spring Street for Districts 1, 2 and 5.

Five years later, the new garage will serve District 11 vehicles only, with brick walls to screen trucks from the street and sidewalks.

To read the full article, see: http://theuptowner.org/despite-local-opposition-new-sanitation-garage-about-to-open-on-east-127th/

The Holidays in Marcus Garvey Park

(a great photo from @lynn-lieberman and her wonderful blog)

TODAY’s September HNBA Gathering Will Be At 6 PM, At East 129th Street and 5th Avenue

Posted on by Harlem Shill

Today – September 13th (Tuesday) at 6:00 – you’re invited to gather at East 129th Street and 5th Avenue (south-east corner) to celebrate the unveiling of Ann Petry Place.

The acclaimed African-American author, Ann Petry, lived at 2 East 129th Street when she engaged in much of her activist writing for African American newspapers such as The Amsterdam News and The People’s Voice, and The Crisis. 2 East 129th Street was also her home when she wrote the seminal novel: The Street.

This novel, The Street, was the first novel by an African-American woman to sell a staggering 1.5 million copies. With time, The Street has become a canonical text that continues to be widely read throughout the United States as a literary exploration of the grinding and oppressive impact that systemic racism and sexism in mid-century America had on Harlem residents, and African-American women in particular.

Ann Petry stands as a crucial bridge between activists and writers from the Harlem Renaissance with those of Harlem’s Civil Rights and Black Power movements of the 1950’s and beyond.

The gathering will include Manhattan Borough President, Mark Levine, the Chair of Community Board 11, and the Chair of Uptown Grand Central.

After presenting Liz Petry with a copy of the street sign that will be unveiled tomorrow, The Harlem Rose Garden (next to Ann Petry’s former apartment building) will open and present a musical selection for all to enjoy.

Come out and meet new (and vintage) HNBA members as we gather outdoors, together.

CB11 To Hold Injection Site Conversation, Tonight

The Department of Health and Mental Hygene will attend CB11’s meeting tonight at 6:00 PM. There will be a focus on the injection site in East Harlem and the impact this facility has had on open-air drug use and dealing in our community.

Click the link, below, to register and ask your questions or offer your opinion:

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_L95XpSZ5SfOTlalOdt9zhQ

HumanServicesCmteAgenda9.12.22-1Download

Wilfredo Lopez – Candidate for Assembly District 68

Posted on by Harlem Shill

Wilfredo Lopez has come to a couple of our HNBA meetings and had mentioned that CB11 (East Harlem) does not get the same amount of funding for DSNY concerns that the community district south of 96th Street does.

Wilfedo brought this up, and subsequently sent over the document that proves his point:

cbgeo6-20Download

The link to the budget document is below as well as a screenshot of the relevant page (p. 213).

https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/omb/downloads/pdf/cbgeo6-20.pdf

Wilfredo points out that the document (above) shows that East Harlem (Sanitation District 11) receives less than half the budget for sanitation services than nearby wealthier neighborhoods like the Upper East Side (Sanitation District 8) or the Upper West Side (Sanitation District 7). 

DSNY Replies

Brooklyn, NY – June 7 2016: DSNY workers collect trash on a city street. New York Department of Sanitation is responsible for garbage and recycling collection, street cleaning, and snow removal.

After our HNBA meeting, DSNY replied to the issue that it spends more DSNY money on the Upper East Side more than it does in East Harlem:

I apologize for the delay in following up from the meeting last week.

There was a question regarding funding allocation within Community Board 11 as compared to other districts (specifically CB 8).

Correct, there is a funding difference because of the amount of service needed.

For example, CB11 has 80.8 total miles of ASP (including metered blocks) compared to CB8 that has 123.9 miles (including metered blocks).

CB11 has 70 total personnel assigned to the garbage, while CB8 has 140.

I hope this information is helpful.

Please let me know if anyone else in the group has questions.

I am always available to you all.

Thank you

  • Marissa Yanni 
  • Community Affairs Liaison
  • Bureau of Community Affairs
  • NYC Department of Sanitation
  • Office: 646-885-4575
  • Mobile: 646-841-4250
    [email protected]

HNBA’s May 2022 Meeting Zoom Recording

https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/cLbu_iLOpWEwXh7o94hSeT6WikwW6EpN7zuOOwSbeRprOQ1zCoSw0hBnWrjzePz_.1OilUMAA3hAgS4vo
Passcode: @y9zb=5f

CB11 Meeting Tomorrow at 6 PM

Posted on by Harlem Shill

Please register for CB11’s Health and Human Services meeting on Monday, March 7th here:

https://www.cb11m.org/pmcalendar/

The committee will be discussing Community Board 11’s resolution requesting a moratorium on the siting of any new drug rehabilitation, chemical dependency, or treatment centers within Community District 11 that they crafted last year, and proposing an extension before this moratorium expires.

This is a very important meeting and you are urged to join and note how the oversaturation in our community leads to poor outcomes for the existing programs when patients need to run gauntlets of dealers who tempt patients to reengage with street drugs.  

Oversaturating is directly responsible for the surge in overdose deaths we’ve seen over the last few years in our community.  We need this.

Thank Black Women

LGA

The oldest minority/women-owned professional design and construction firm in the United States – McKissack – has just completed the amazing renovations to LaGuardia and is moving on to work on JFK.

This family-owned business for more than 115 years, has worked in planning, design, and construction of more than 6,000 projects nationwide, but locally may be best known for their work on Harlem Hospital and the preservation of the amazing Harlem Renaissance murals.

McKissack provided construction management services in support of the Patient Pavilion project, which was part of Harlem Hospital’s Major Modernization Program that added 150,000 sq. ft. and the new Emergency Department, state-of-the-art critical care and diagnostic units, and operating rooms.

The historic murals created during the Harlem Renaissance in the WPA-era 1930s at Harlem Hospital were preserved and permanently reinstalled into the patient pavilion.

Now moving on to work on JFK, McKissack has a major role in the 7 billion dollar project.

Dorrance Brooks Square Historic District Gets New Signage

Nick Garber at Patch.com is reporting that the Dorrance Brooks Square Historic District is getting new street signs to inform passersby that they are walking through a historic district.

The six markers have been installed on street poles around the district, which runs along both sides of Frederick Douglass Boulevard between West 135th and 140th streets, bounded by St. Nicholas Avenue and Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Boulevard.

Join Your Community Board

Posted on by Harlem Shill

The Manhattan Community Board Application Deadline is March 1.

Each board has up to 50 members, all volunteers. Board members serve via staggered two-year terms, which means half must be reappointed or replaced every year.

All of those people are appointed by their own borough president. City Council members can recommend new applicants, but the final call rests with the BP.

You can apply to join Manhattan’s boards and get chosen without special access or expertise, you just need to care about the issues that are relevant and important to the community. There are no prerequisites to join a board, except that you must live or work in the district where you’d like to serve. Any city resident 16 or older can join. Community Boards are particularly lacking New Yorkers without cars on boards.

Here is what The City recommends:

  • Attend a board meeting, or several, before you apply. It’ll give you a sense of how — and how well — your local board is run, and votes are cast. Many of the board applications ask whether you’ve attended meetings, so be prepared. Bonus points if you attend a committee hearing!
  • A board application is a bit like applying for a job. You may be asked for a resume or references. Bear in mind, applications are subject to the Freedom of Information Law, meaning they could be made public down the line.
  • Usually, new members “have an issue that’s hard in their minds that they want to deal with,” said Winfield — parks funding, or homelessness. But whatever it is, he tells new members: “Don’t lose it. Once you get on the board, keep that issue and join the right committee.”
  • Don’t count yourself out. Boards don’t necessarily need experts, people of a certain professional class, or veteran movers and shakers. Washington said a community gardener with 20 hours a month to dedicate to the housing committee is worth way more than “the best accountant in the world” with only “two minutes a month.”
  • That said, if you’re accepted, get ready to dedicate a good chunk of time to it, Washington said. He estimates it may take up between 10 to 15 hours every month between meetings and brushing up on the issues on the agenda. For super-members like Winfield, it’s even more. “It’s a lot of reading and it’s a lot of investigating,” Winfield said.
  • Get ready for some… spirited debates! Much of board life is a bit mundane, or procedural, but when there’s a divisive issue on the agenda, it can get heated. Keep your cool — and bring snacks and water for occasional long meetings.

Many people looking to work in government or run for office in New York get their experience at a community board first. The proof is in the pudding: current Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, Lieutenant Governor Brian Benjamin, and former Speaker Corey Johnson all served as chairs of boards, in southeast Queens, Harlem and Chelsea, respectively.

“You learn a lot about the city government structure,” said Winfield. “It’s a learning place.”

https://www.cb11m.org/

Home

The Manhattan Community Board Application Deadline is March 1.

CB11 Meeting Tonight

Posted on by Harlem Shill

Here is your chance to speak to our elected officials (and/or their representatives) about issues that concern you and your neighbors. You can raise your hand and comment, write questions/thoughts in the chat, and present any community announcements you might have.

Full Board

Tuesday • September 28th • 6:30pm
In order to attend this meeting, please register in advance for this webinar.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
If you wish to speak during the public session at our September Full Board Meeting, please indicate your interest in speaking and fill out the form here.

View the agenda on our meeting calendar here.

Harlem Pete Dream Book

Harlemites who played the numbers often consulted dream books that suggested number combinations to play for luck. This rare, ephemeral book is clearly made on cheap, acidic paper, but it survives from 1948:

You can see the item on Ebay, here.

Correction: CB11 Full Board Meeting on Tuesday, September 28th

Posted on by Harlem Shill

Community Board 11’s Full Board Meeting is scheduled for a week from today (on September 28th) at 6:30 PM.

For details see:

https://www.cb11m.org/pmcalendar/

To sign up to add your voice:

https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_owOGKFs9RyOxC7-An2Sz3Q

Tunnel Vision

Tunnel Vision by Logan Hicks – the largest stenciled mural in the world. 

In the middle of 2020, during the height of the pandemic in New York City, Logan Hicks was commissioned to creatively re-imagine a massive breezeway at the East River Plaza in Harlem. Nearly a year later, Hicks completes his largest work to date – a 19,000 sq. ft installation entitled “Tunnel Vision”. This work consists of a continuous stenciled mural that wraps the inside the towering breezeway, paired with a custom designed sound installation. The mural is set to be certified by Guinness World Records on July 29th, 2021.

Behold layers of stenciled aerosol transforming gray concrete into lush greenery, climbing up each of the thirty-foot walls and pillars, meeting at the ceiling painted in a vibrant, sky-blue gradient. Looking closely, tucked in the green thicket covering the walls are dozens of stenciled birds that live within New York State, while the four-hour looping soundtrack brings them to life – featuring the calls of every bird indigenous to New York.

This experiential piece was inspired by Christian Cooper, the Central Park birdwatcher who was thrust into the spotlight in May of 2020. Cooper shed light on a part of New York that Hicks was unaware of – the birdwatching community. Until that story unfolded across media outlets everywhere, the artist never knew of the Ramble – the birdwatching section of Central Park. 

During the pandemic, Hicks visited the area many times and was taken by the symphony of bird chirps and songs that echoed through the treetops. The idyllic utopia of wildlife sits right in the middle of this bustling city.

Recognizing that there is a segment of the population that would not go to Central Park with a pair of binoculars to watch birds, Tunnel Vision is Hicks’ attempt to recreate the feeling of the Central Park Ramble in the language that he understands best – murals. 

To grasp the scale of such an endeavor, it’s noteworthy that the artist’s estimate to complete the mural would be one, maybe two months on-site. Braving the unpredictable weather of every season, Hicks has now used over 100 gallons of paint, 500 cans of spray paint, hundreds of stencils, dozens of rolls of Gorilla Tape, and an uncounted number of hours painting – defying expectations – and tedious limitations of the stencil medium – to complete Tunnel Vision.

Silent Procession 2021

Scenes from the 2021 Silent Procession:

https://bronx.news12.com/silent-procession-held-to-magnify-human-rights-issues-in-puerto-rico

Eric Adams and Brian Benjamin were in attendance.

Community Board 11 – Full Board Meeting

Posted on by Harlem Shill

Tuesday (September 28) at 6:30 PM

Here is your chance to speak to our elected officials (and/or their representatives) about issues that concern you and your neighbors. You can raise your hand and comment, write questions/thoughts in the chat, and present any community announcements you might have.

Go to the CB11 calendar link below:

https://www.cb11m.org/pmcalendar/

And register for the September 28th meeting.

As Seen on the Metro North Platform

CB11 Wants to Hear From You

Posted on by Harlem Shill

Manhattan CB11 is seeking your input to help determine East Harlem’s greatest needs and budget priorities for the upcoming fiscal year. You can participate in the annual budget process by filling out the Public Input Survey today! We will be accepting responses through August 22, 2021. 
Access the survey here: https://forms.gle/qHEr3WvVrxcH2kNa6

For more information, please contact the community board office at
(212)831-8929 or [email protected].

Compost Collection is Coming (in the Fall)

Curbside composting will return to NYC beginning fall 2021!

We will collect food scraps, food-soiled paper, and yard waste and turn it into compost or renewable energy. 

Residents must sign up for this voluntary service through a simple online form or by calling 311. 

You will be able to sign up the first week of August, and service will start in the fall on a rolling basis. Learn more at nyc.gov/curbsidecomposting. 

To be notified when the curbside composting sign-up form is available, register at nyc.gov/curbsidecomposting.  
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nyc.gov/sanitation

Community Board 11 Wants To Hear From You

Posted on by Harlem Shill

Click This Link to register:

A Rare Cornerstone

A rare Harlem cornerstone that not only has the year built, but also the name of the architect.

Found on East 128th Street, at Madison, on the former ARC building.